Kushner’s Security Clearance Restored After Second Meeting With Mueller

Jared Kushner Image by Department of Defense

By Alyssa Fisher May 23, 2018

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner had his White House security clearance restored Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.

Kushner was stripped of his interim clearance in February amid a change in procedures following the resignation of Rob Porter, the President’s staff secretary, who had been allowed to remain in his post for months despite allegations of spouse abuse.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation also affected Kushner’s status in the White House, as some aspects of his inquiry related to Kushner’s role during the presidential campaign through the presidency itself, including contacts with Russians and the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.

Kushner met in April with Mueller’s investigators for a second time and answered questions for seven hours, according to his attorney, Abbe Lowell. Kushner previously sat for an interview last November, which was largely focused on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who soon after pleaded guilty to charges of making false statements to the FBI.

White House officials have blamed the delay in Kushner receiving his security clearance on administrative backlogs normal to a new administration, as well as the complicated nature of his application, CNN reported. His initial security clearance application didn’t list dozens of foreign contacts that he later included in updated submissions to the FBI.

Contact Alyssa Fisher at fisher@forward.com or on Twitter, @alyssalfisher

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO